Panthers’ cuts to 53-man roster shows a team still in flux. What to make of it.
In the two NFL drafts since Matt Rhule has become head coach of the Carolina Panthers, the team has drafted 18 players.
Of those selections, 16 counted toward the 53-man roster that was reached by the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline. One player — 2020 fifth-round pick safety Kenny Robinson — was waived, while the other, 2021 sixth-round pick long snapper Thomas Fletcher, was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury.
This is a young Panthers team that is still in flux. There’s a 16-player practice squad to be built Wednesday, but there are 25 offensive players, 25 defensive players and three special teamers. (Running back Trenton Cannon could be counted as a special teams player as that is where he will make his biggest contributions).
The Panthers are deep on the defensive line and at wide receiver, but could use some help at running back and linebacker. The only guarantee is that this roster is far from settled. Here’s what stood out from a busy day of transactions.
What to make of the decisions
▪ Tough moves. With the releases of quarterback Will Grier and outside linebacker Christian Miller, only two members of the 2019 draft class remain on the Panthers roster — Brian Burns and Dennis Daley. The others have been either cut or traded away, as Greg Little was earlier in training camp.
Miller was waived Tuesday after returning from a season which he elected to opt out. Through the team’s three preseason games, he played among the most snaps of any defensive players and improved as training camp went on. He had two sacks in his rookie year and would benefit from an opportunity with a team that doesn’t have the depth the Panthers do up front.
Wide receiver Keith Kirkwood was also waived Tuesday. The former Temple wide receiver missed almost all of last season with clavicle injuries and then suffered a concussion on a hit to the neck by former Panthers safety J.T. Ibe, who was immediately waived.
Kirkwood missed almost all training camp and the preseason while in concussion protocol. Ultimately, Shi Smith got the initial last wide receiver spot and the team expects him to miss two-three weeks with a shoulder injury.
▪ A bunch of tight ends. The Panthers have four tight ends on the initial 53-man roster, and one converted fullback. The team is officially considering Giovanni Ricci as a fullback — his number will correspondingly switch to 40 — after having him practice the role in the past week and in the third preseason game.
The four true tight ends to make the roster are Dan Arnold, Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas and Colin Thompson. It’s no secret that the Panthers were lacking at the position last year, especially in terms of getting the tight ends involved as receivers. Arnold will primarily help with that, but it seems like a luxury to keep even four tight ends on the roster. Time will tell if that depth remains as other needs are addressed.
“We have different guys with different jobs,” Rhule said. “Tommy’s a young guy coming along; Ian’s a really good all-around tight end; Dan can do it all, he’s a really great pass catcher; and Colin’s the guy that kind of just does every job. We like that room.”
▪ Long snapper. The Panthers stuck with the longest-tenured and oldest member of the team in long snapper J.J. Jansen after selecting Fletcher out of Alabama in the sixth round of the draft. Fletcher, in turn was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and is now out for the season. The team is calling his ailment a hip injury, and Rhule thought he may have been injured in the second preseason game vs. the Baltimore Ravens but wasn’t positive. He did play in the team’s final preseason game of the year.
“(Flethcer) has some hip impingement, so I guess battled through it, but just couldn’t function at the level he thought he needed to or felt comfortable at,” Rhule said. “He’s begun the rehab process and hopefully he’ll get healthy soon.”
Jansen appeared to be the better option throughout the season, consistently performing well. The move could indicate that this is likely Jansen’s last season with the team, as the team did not want to expose Fletcher to waivers from other teams, saving him for next season.
“J.J., since the very first day we started the season, he’s responded. He’s a professional. He’s a tremendous guy,” Rhule said.
▪ With the release of veteran Rashaan Melvin, the Panthers will have a young secondary to start the year. A.J. Bouye is suspended the first two games due to violating the NFL’s policy on PEDs, making safety Juston Burris the only cornerback or safety over the age of 25.
▪ A note: Six players on the initial 53 played at Temple — P.J. Walker, Robby Anderson, Haason Reddick, Sean Chandler, Sam Franklin and Thompson. Two played at Baylor — Clay Johnston and Bravvion Roy.
Holes that need to be filled
The Panthers’ 53-man roster isn’t perfect.
There are still some holes to be filled and the Panthers could address those on the waiver wire on Wednesday at noon.
“I think Scott (Fitterer) is doing a great job,” Rhule said. “They are looking at our guys, looking at other guys that are on other teams for the practice squad and the active roster ...
“But as I’ve said, some of those things are fluid. We’ll have to see where we end up tomorrow.”
Here is what the Panthers need to address.
▪ Running back. The final cut to get the roster to 53 players was running back Rodney Smith, who had missed every preseason game and much of training camp because of knee injury.
Smith’s release means the Panthers have only three running backs on the roster: Christian McCaffrey, rookie Chuba Hubbard and Cannon, who practiced primarily at wide receiver in training camp. Cannon has also been dealing with an injury throughout camp.
He also primarily plays special teams. Adding another running back would be beneficial.
▪ Linebacker. Linebacker was one of the Panthers’ thinnest positions heading into training camp, depth-wise, and somehow it’s gotten thinner.
The Panthers signed Josh Bynes to add depth after Denzel Perryman suffered an injury in training camp.
The Panthers traded Perryman to the Raiders for a draft pick, and on cut day released Bynes. The Panthers have six linebackers on the roster — Shaq Thompson, Reddick, Jermaine Carter, Frankie Luvu, Clay Johnston and Julian Stanford.
Thompson, Reddick and Carter are all solid starters. Luvu was impressive in camp. Johnston and Stanford lack experience.
Johnston, whose father, Kent Johnston, is the strength and conditioning coach for the Panthers, has played in only two games and he was used on special teams.
Jeremy Chinn can also play linebacker. If the Panthers move him from safety, then they’d have to replace him with a backup.
▪ Kicker: The Panthers are still learning about kicker Ryan Santoso, who in a pressure-filled situation, was impressive in his first and only preseason game with the Panthers.
He made two field goals and made three extra-point attempts just a day after being traded.
But Santoso has never been a starter for a team, nor has he attempted a field goal in a regular-season game.
The Panthers are still getting to know Santoso. He still has to get used to his holder, Joseph Charlton, and long snapper J.J. Jansen.
While Santoso has earned a chance, it’s too early to solidify him as the long-term kicker.
The Panthers’ 53-man roster
- Quarterbacks (2): Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker
- Running backs (3): Christian McCaffrey, Chuba Hubbard, Trenton Cannon
- Fullback (1): Giovanni Ricci
- Wide receivers (6): DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall, David Moore, Brandon Zylstra, Shi Smith
- Tight end (4): Dan Arnold, Ian Thomas, Tommy Tremble, Colin Thompson
- Offensive tackle (4): Cam Erving, Taylor Moton, Trent Scott, Brady Christensen
- Center (1): Matt Paradis
- Offensive guard (4): Pat Elflein, John Miller, Dennis Daley, Deonte Brown
- Defensive end (5): Brian Burns, Morgan Fox, Yetur Gross-Matos, Marquis Haynes, Darryl Johnson
- Defensive tackle (45: Derrick Brown, DaQuan Jones, Bravvion Roy, Daviyon Nixon, Phil Hoskins
- Linebacker (6): Haason Reddick, Shaq Thompson, Jermaine Carter, Frankie Luvu, Clay Johnston, Julian Stanford
- Cornerback (5): Donte Jackson, Jaycee Horn, Myles Hartsfield, Keith Taylor, Stantley Thomas-Oliver
- Safety (4): Juston Burris, Jeremy Chinn, Sean Chandler, Sam Franklin
- Kicker (1): Ryan Santoso
- Punter (1): Joe Charlton
- Long snapper (1): J.J. Jansen
*CB A.J. Bouye (reserve/suspended list)
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 6:02 PM.
